Good call. Had to be the least controversial choice ever, just weeks after winning the Female Ballon D'Or and a few months after sweeping the WWC major field player awards...
2019 SI Sportsman of the Year
- Thread starter Menace Sockeyes
- Start date
I for one have been losing sleep, wondering who was going to take home this prestigious award.
I was just shocked that they got it right. Not their norm.
I probably would have chosen the St. Louis Blues after they went from last place in the middle of the season to winning the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
A number of them are not American, and that seems to often be a sticking point for this award. Its traditionally been a bit of a joke for that reason, IMHO.
Jose Altuve won it a couple years ago. The Boston Red Sox won it in 2004 and several of their top players weren’t Americans.
I'm aware, but that's a rarity. Look at the list of winners. Look at this list and try and tell us its not embarrassingly myopic...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_Illustrated_Sportsperson_of_the_Year
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Apparently we interpreted Menace’s comment differently. I took it to mean that it’s sometimes a joke because not enough foreign athletes are selected. Why would foreign-born baseball players winning the award be indicative of it being a joke?
While Rapinoe is deserving, I can think of a couple others who would/should have gotten some consideration (rightfully so).
Dalilah Muhammad, World Champ 400m hurdles plus set the WR at the US Nationals (I was 10 yards away when she crossed the line).
Eliud Kipchoge - Won the London Marathon in 2nd fastest marathon time ever, then became the 1st person to break 2 hours in the marathon.
Now, Muhammad didn't have the international visibility either of the others did, but Kipchoge breaking 2 hours was a huge event, and on par with the 1st SI Sportsman of the Year, Roger Bannister (when he broke the 4 min mile).
Dalilah Muhammad, World Champ 400m hurdles plus set the WR at the US Nationals (I was 10 yards away when she crossed the line).
Eliud Kipchoge - Won the London Marathon in 2nd fastest marathon time ever, then became the 1st person to break 2 hours in the marathon.
Now, Muhammad didn't have the international visibility either of the others did, but Kipchoge breaking 2 hours was a huge event, and on par with the 1st SI Sportsman of the Year, Roger Bannister (when he broke the 4 min mile).
I would agree with that but I'd be surprised if these aren't much more competitive from here on to the future. The big European clubs are investing big time in women's soccer, in terms of facilities, coaching, and youth recruitment. They see the women's game now as a great way to grow their support base. If you look at the Women's UEFA Champions League results from recent years, the teams in the later stages of the knockout rounds are starting to much more closely mirror those you typically see on the men's side, with most of the same clubs, than was the case even 5 years ago.
I believe it's imminent that we'll see many of the big name players for the US start to play in Europe instead. The NWSL pays players between 20k-50k per season. This is a big reason why the "pay gap" on the national teams is such a complicated issue. For men, the NT pay is mostly a token payment...to the women, it's necessary for eeking out a decent living. The group collectively has been trying to stick together to grow the NWSL in the US, but eventually, the money's going to talk. An NWSL TEAM has a 600k salary cap. Arsenal, PSG or Barcelona could pay Alex Morgan $600k a year from the couch cushions.
And if there's one thing everyone in the country needs it's more politics in sports...
Tony Bennett? Seriously. You would award him because he seriously failed the year before then met expectations this year...mmm kay.
Good call. Had to be the least controversial choice ever, just weeks after winning the Female Ballon D'Or and a few months after sweeping the WWC major field player awards...
The above is the only time in her history that she has kissed a phallic object while cupping its bottom.
It’s a story about peserverance and overcoming a horrible and humiliating loss.
winning the gold in women’s soccer is like 5 adult men entering a junior high girls basketball tournament.
I really don’t care, I never get excited about post season awards of any kind. I want my favorite teams to win, individual accolades mean zero to me.
As a Trump supporter, you would know that.And if there's one thing everyone in the country needs it's more politics in sports...
